"it is the tradition of north americans to complain"

So, we had a wonderful class today - our last one in government. We talked about the readings (which I unfortunately didn't finish all of this week) and the byu club Free the Slaves and Lincoln's second inaugural address. As we finished class, Dr. Holzapfel was talking about what we can do as students, and he while telling a story he said something along the lines of 'it is the tradition of north americans to complain.' I found this remarkably appropriate, in terms of timing and its accuracy. Right now we are verging on finals, and lots of things seem like really big deals that just aren't. All of my life's little details choke the meaning out surprisingly quickly. It feels very difficult sometimes to reach out beyond today and beyond myself to get and keep perspective - to have a sense of things that really matter. *sigh* I know this blog sounds perishingly rote and cliche, but this is something I've thought a lot about - how to use your life to follow meaningful things, instead of adding them on as an afterthought.
As I read the South Carolina order for secession today, it was really striking how passionately convinced the author sounded of everything he was saying - things that to me are completely alien beliefs. (I.e., black people are inherently and eternally a subspecies) Sort of like last week, when I studied the religious revivals, I was reminded that because belief is powerful, it's dangerous.
So, bringing these two thoughts The first step is probably trying to be aware of what we're choosing to focus on and what we're choosing to believe. But after that - for me personally ( I think that these strategies differ from person to person), I think the second step has two parts - setting specific time to meditate and think things through, and then taking action based on those mediations. It's a tricky balance between listening to the truth inside of yourself and being aware of your blind spots. I hope that balance will be a life-long effort for me. My third step is that when I learn, I don't learn unless I remember. So write it down! Unless I write something down and make a concerted effort to implement it into my thoughts and actions, it disappears from my plane of consciousness; thus, it can be part of me, but it can't help direct my life.
(Btw, Kennedy, thank you for reading this) ( :